by Phil Williams | Aug 5, 2014 | General English, Speaking skills, Words
When you need to spell a word out loud, there is a recognised vocabulary for naming the individual letters of the English alphabet. The names of these letters mostly correspond to the sound of the letter itself (usually in a single long vowel form, or with a consonant...
by Phil Williams | Jul 29, 2014 | Grammar
Relative clauses add extra information to a sentence by defining a noun. They are usually divided into two types –defining relative clauses and non-defining relative clauses. A relative clause is one that adds information to a sentence, in relation to a noun. For...
by Phil Williams | Jul 16, 2014 | Definitions, Grammar, Writing skills
Simple sentences are formed in English containing an independent clause that forms a grammatically complete action, event or idea. A simple sentence should have a complete noun and verb relationship with any necessary additional information. To make writing more...
by Phil Williams | Jul 10, 2014 | Definitions, Exercises, Grammar
The construction “not only … but also …” is used to emphasise something that has more than one quality, or has done more than activity, where the final quality is especially surprising or noteworthy. It can be used to list adjective qualities, nouns or verbs, to show...
by Phil Williams | Jun 26, 2014 | Definitions, Grammar, Words
As part of the introduction to the grammar guide The English Tenses, I explain important words that are required to understand English grammar – including participles and infinitives. The following is a full explanation of what we mean when we say the bare...